Night Lights Denver Projects Art on Downtown Buildings

If you find yourself in downtown Denver after dark, you may notice projection maps on the D&F Clock Tower, illuminating the city with unique light designs. As one of only a few projection mapping installations in the U.S., the permanent project, named Night Lights Denver, is brought to life by the Denver Theatre District (DTD). 

The DTD is a non-profit organization that is funded by a portion of the LED and billboard sales in a 16-square block in downtown Denver. The organization has become installation-focused upon the City of Denver’s request to combine advertising downtown with opportunities to benefit the public. 

David Moke’s average day is working day and night. As the Director of Night Lights Denver and Director of Programming for the Denver Theatre District, he is often found head down on his computer while the sun is out, and testing projections after dark. 

Despite the long days that often bleed into the night due to the nature of his role, Moke is constantly surrounded by art and is fortunate to observe the ways that his work impacts people. He especially loves to experience an artist’s reaction when their work is projected on the side of the Clock Tower for the first time. 

“Few people have ever done large-scale projections, so that moment when an artist realizes their tests will work well and look good never gets old,” said Moke. 

In 2011, the DTD assisted with the production of Frame of Mind. The installation was a huge hit and the eight years that followed was a period where the DTD garnered the funds, technology and testing to continue to bring art to life downtown in the form of projection mapping. Today, the momentum continues and the program spends over $250,000 on art alone in a year. 

“While we still have Understudy and other programs, Night Lights Denver is now the biggest platform affiliated with the DTD,” said Moke, signaling the growth of the program and the organization. “It is also one of the few dynamic, totally free, nightly activities for people to experience downtown.”

READ: Empowering Artists and Enriching the Community: Inside the Denver Theatre District’s Art Incubator

Moke commissions the art for Night Lights Denver for half of the year, and brings in guest curators for the remaining months. He has developed an eye for the right work that will make the most impact. 

“I am always looking for new work to be projected, with a heavy focus on motion-based work due to the lack of large-scale, public outlets to present it,” he said.

When he is not facilitating the next project for Night Lights Denver, Moke is encouraging the community to experience the projections themselves. The DTD connects with Denver residents on various levels, including educating the city’s youth. 

“It’s fun when I host schools or youth arts groups to see the artwork they made in a class. The excitement of seeing a video 140 ft. tall is amplified when it’s multiple people or students sharing in the experience,” Moke added. 

Night Lights Denver recently expanded by launching the second projection on the side of the Kittredge Building. The DTD has also hosted several window installations called “SPARK” over the last few years to bring projection mapping to other areas within the city. 

As the construction of the 16th Street Mall is beginning to wrap up, Moke is brainstorming new ways to activate downtown, including interactive programming like video games and other new programs. 

Eventually, “we hope to incorporate directional audio for the D&F Tower,” said Moke. “I’ve had numerous bands and poets reach out, but without an existing audio component, few ideas ever came to fruition.” This would allow Night Lights Denver to incorporate another segment of the arts in the city while expanding the program’s offerings and connectivity to the community. 

Various local groups are also paving the way regarding projection mapping, including Waveform.exp, Deep Space Drive In, Denver Projection Mapping, and Denver Digerati. 

Night Lights Denver wouldn’t be the program growing in popularity and bringing art to Denver’s streets after dark without Display Devices, the organization behind the tech. 

Whether it’s to see the whole program or catch a glimpse of the current installation, see Night Lights Denver in action nightly starting approximately 30 minutes after sunset and looping until midnight.